Art of producing yarn



June 159, 1951 F. HoNlG ART OF PRODUCING YARN Filed April 17, 194s Patented June 19, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE ART F PRODUCING YARN l Frank Honig, Edgewood, R. I.

Application April 17, 1948, Serial No. 21,712

- 2 claims. (c1. 57-15s) the strand is formed by spinning, the more central bers are held tightly in contact with the fibers of the more compact center, while the fibers near the outside may sliplslightly one past the other. Then as the be-rs'wrap around each other in the helix caused by the spinning, the fact that some have a larger radius than others and that the fibers Whose ends are near the surface undergo a-slight slippage contributes to a condition of uneven fiber tensions throughout the strand. This condition reduces the overall tensile strength of the strand because it leads to progressive rupture of fibers rather than simultaneous rupture which is necessary to develop the theoretical maximum tensile strength of the strand. As regards internal torsions within the fibers themselves, this is caused by the factl that, as the spinning is performed, the individual fibers are for the most part held tightly at both ends. Thus when they are twisted, they not only wrap around each other but also twist Within themselves. The internal torsion caused by such twisting also reduces tensile strength and results in further reducing the ability of the strand to approximate its theoretical maximum tensile strength.

It is an object of my inventionV to provide a process for producing a strand whereby the above mentioned uneven tensions between individual fibers and the internal torsions within fibers may be virtually eliminated and a stronger strand produced thereby.

In the accomplishment of `these and other objects of my invention I employ a draw frame to attenuate a roving orthe like into a thin, ribbonaround each other substantially without unevenness of tension one to the other or without internal torsion.

Further objects and features of my invention will best be understood and appreciated from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional diagrammatic view in side elevation of apparatus to perform the process of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view along the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1; v

Fig.-3 is a sectional plan view along the lines 3-3 of Fig- 1; and l Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view in front elevation of the twisting belts.

The preferred embodiment of the process of my invention herein shown is carried out by first drafting a roving or the like into a thin, ribbonlike element indicated at 3i. This may be accomplished in a conventional draw frame or in a draw frame as described in my'co-pendingA application Serial No. 21,713, led April 17, 1948. The discharge end of such a draw frame is indicated diagrammatically at C-2 in Fig. 1.

After leaving the draw frame, the said ribbonlike element 3| enters a forming chamber E. The chamber E comprises a bell shaped outer member 53 and a small funnel 54 situated in the large mouth of thebellmember 53. The drawn element 3l lrst enters the funnel 54, then passes through bell member 53 under conditions to be more fully described below, and then is twisted into a strand 32 by opposed belts 18. Thereafter, it is wound onto a spool or cheese in the conventional manner as indicated at G.

For simplicity of illustration, the drawn element 3| is shown in Fig. 1 as comprising only a relatively few bers. Thus it will be seen that said element 3l enters funnel 54, and a fiber such as indicated at 55 extends downward into bell member 53. Fiber 55 represents the lower terminus of the non-rotating part 0f the element 3|. and its upper end will be held loosely in funnel 54. Funnel 54 is adjustable relative to bell member 53 to accommodate different fiber lengths, it being important to have the upper end of flber 55 fairly near to the release point from funnel 54 by the time ber 55 is caught in the rotating stream of the fibers below.

A ber 56 is shown as being caught at its lower end in the said rotating stream and with its upper end starting to break away from the funnel 54. Other bers indicated at 51 have progressed farther down and have commenced to converge in the narrow throat of bell member 58. As these fibers 51 converge, they close in on the lower ends of fibers such as fiber I5 and serve to draw them through funnel 54. 51 as indicated at 59 flare out and rub against the inner surface of bell member 5I. This inner surface may preferably vbe made of hard rubber or glass and thereby generate an electrostatic charge in the fiber group as it proceeds through bell member 53.

I'hus it will be seen that both through centrifugal and electrostatic forces, the upper ends of the fibers are substantially disassociated one from the other immediately prior to being formed into the strand. Then when belts I8 twist them together, they simply wrap one around the other and with their upper ends being substantially free, the internal torsions present in conventional strand fibers are not generated. Also with their upper ends being substantially free, the differences in helical radius due to twisting' do not cause uneven tensions from one ber to the next, because the fibers simply adjust to the new configuration prior to iinal compacting. f course. certain of the fibers in the center of the strand may receive a slight amount of permanent torsion but since they are only lightly held by funnel I even this is The belts 18 are disposed in crossed relationship as may be seen in Fig. 4, and it will be understood that the amount of twist as well as the rate of passage through chamber E may be regulated by the surface speed of said belts and their angular disposition.

Since certain variations in this preferred embodiment of my invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, it is not intended to limit the invention to the precise form herein shown, but rather to measure it in terms of the appended claims.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The process of twisting yarn which comprises, drafting a roving into a thin ribbon-like element under conditions wherein said element takes on an electrostatic charge, feeding said Also the upper ends oi' fibers 5 ribbon-like element into a coniined space having an inner surface adapted to produce like static electrical charges on fibers rubbed against it, disassociating a majority of said fibers within said confined space by electrostatic repulsion and centrifugal force withdrawing said fibers from said confined space, and simultaneously rotating the fibers as a mass while withdrawing them, whereby the individual fibers, having one free end, wrap helically about the composite yarn without receiving internal torsional stress.

2. 'I'he process of making yarn, which comprises, drai'ting a body of staple length fibers, feeding said body coaxially into a stationary zone. creating an electrostatic charge in said body by rubbing it while in said zone, coaxially disjoining said body within said zone by the electrostatic charge on the fibers in said body, coaxially removing the disjoined portion from said chamber while twisting it to form a yarn and substantially preserving the longitudinal disposition of said fibers as produced in said body, and winding said yarn with a substantially uniform tension into a package.

FRANK HONIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 689,556 Metcalf Dec. 24, 1901 778,604 Phillips et al. Dec. 27, 1904 1,126,042 Lister Jan. 26, 1915 1,621,158 Edelmann Mar. 15, 1927 1,724,200 Hubbard Aug. 13, 1929 1,743,601 Gross Jan. 14, 1930 2,103,218 Gwaltney et al Dec. 21, 1937 2,262,589 Peck Nov. 11, 1941 2,451,504 Mayo Oct. 19, 1948 2,453,802 Maxham Nov. 16, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 502,216 Germany July 11, 1930 769,512 France June 9, 1934 859,187 France June 3, 1940 

